


A Game of Dejarik

by CaesiumDressing



Series: Huxloween stuffs [7]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Ghosts, M/M, between life and death, no one not already dead dies, waypoint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-20 00:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8230069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaesiumDressing/pseuds/CaesiumDressing
Summary: Kylo Ren loses consciousness after his fight with Rey and is asked to play a game of Dejarik.
Written for Huxloween prompt: Ghosts.





	

Kylo Ren lay beaten and bleeding in the snow of the exploding Starkiller base. He hears a group of people moving through the snow and towards him, following the tracker Hux had embedded in his belt. He hears Hux on the edge of his perception ordering troopers to carry Ren to the escape shuttle. The last thing he sees before he loses consciousness is the Millennium Falcon breaking the atmosphere.

 

* * *

 

When he wakes up he’s sitting in the main cabin of the Falcon. He starts, and stares around the space. All is quiet, there is no sign of the scavenger or Chewbacca. He glances down at himself and sees that he’s dressed in jeans, a loose shirt, boots and a vest. He’s dressed like he used to dress when he was at home. He is dressed like his father. He catches movement out of the corner of his eye and when he turns he catches sight of Han Solo, but not the Han Solo he murdered on Starkiller and threw into the oscillator. This is how he remembers him looking before he joined the first order.

“Hey kid,” Han says, sliding into the seat on the other side of the table “think you can finally beat your old man in a game of Dejarik?”

“You’re dead.” Kylo speaks, his voice trembling.

“Yeah,” Han answers, turning on the board. “Who goes first?”

“Did I die on Starkiller?” Kylo asks out loud, not really meaning to.

“No. Right now we’re at a waypoint between life and death. This is where souls linger before they are absorbed into the force, or so I figure. I’ve never been entirely clear on this stuff. Either way, let’s play a game of Dejarik. You still hadn’t beaten me before you left.”

“I… I’m” Kylo starts, tears welling in his eyes. Han’s hand shoots out and he presses a single finger to Kylo’s lips.

“Shh, it doesn’t matter right now. Who goes first?” Han says, pulling his hand back and looking Kylo in the eyes. Kylo quickly looks away, suddenly feeling so small in his father’s gaze. The father he murdered in cold blood.

“You go first.” Kylo says, trying to contain his tears.

“Interesting strategy. I remember you thinking that going first was essential to the win. That being the one to have a jump on the competition would help you. You were always so impulsive, but you never seemed to mention how it gave you no advantage when I let you go first.” Han chuckles. “You never believed me when I told you the game wasn’t about attacking or swiftness, but about manipulating your situation to benefit you.”

“You’re one to talk about impulsiveness Solo. Where was all of that caution when you ran away. I needed you, Leia needed you, but you left us behind.” Kylo says, watching his father’s move and considering his own. He sees the perfect counter and when he looks up he sees the specter of his father staring at him hard.

“I hate to say it, but you’re not wrong.” Han looks back at his pieces. “I seemed to always show up at just the right time when there was a crisis, but I should have been there for you and your mom more. I wasn’t a perfect father by any means,” Han says, looking back at Kylo “But I tried. I only realized how much I hurt you when it was too late.”

Kylo looks down at his pieces but has difficulty seeing them through the tears flooding his eyes. “I missed you so much. I always thought I’d done something to drive you away. Every time I looked to the sky I hoped that I’d see the Falcon coming in for a landing. But you never came. And when I found out that Darth Vader was my grandfather, after what you told me about what he had done I . . .”

Han Solo had gotten up from his seat and is now kneeling at his son’s side. “Never. Never once did I blame you. I can’t say that I never thought about Vader when I looked at you, but I never ever thought less of you and I was never afraid. I left because of my own weakness, never because of you.” Han reaches up and brushes the tears from his son’s cheeks. He looks back at the board and points at a piece. “There is no such thing as the perfect move,” he gestures at a space on the board. “But when you’re in the moment you react in the best way you can. Sometimes it’s wrong,” he says, looking at his son again. “But it is the best you can do.” The move he had shown Kylo was the one he had considered making. Han Solo speaks again “In hindsight, however, you’ll see that it was wrong.” Kylo looks again and considers the move. He realizes in that moment that it was a move that would be disastrous.  He instead makes a move that he thought less desirable, but doesn’t play into Han’s strategy. Han smiles and goes back to his seat.

“I feel like I’ve made all the wrong moves Han.” Kylo says, watching Han consider his options. “There’s no way out now.” Han makes his move and Kylo brightens. Han has fallen right into a snare that Kylo though he’d easily avoid. Kylo jumps at his next move and Han counters devastatingly. Kylo slumps a little.

“But never forget, regardless of the bad moves we make, there is always a way back. There is always a way to win. You take what mistakes you’ve made, and adjust to the situation. You can still get out.” Han says, looking at Kylo and then back at the board.

Kylo considers for a moment. He sees it, he can win in two moves and Han cannot make an adequate counter to win. He looks at Han again and watches his face light up. Han laughs.

“Sometimes making the right move means losing. But honestly, I was always waiting for you to beat me. I knew you would, and in that moment you’d learn that you can win and that you are good enough.” Han turns off the board and gestures for Kylo to follow him into the cockpit. Kylo looks out and sees the galaxy before him. The vastness of space reminds him that nothing has only one path.

“I think it’s time for me to jump to hyperspeed kid,” Han says, putting his hand on Kylo’s shoulder.

“I don’t want you to leave yet. I haven’t seen you for so long.” Kylo says, looking at his father, the tears coming to him again.

“I’m sorry buddy, I need to leave you one last time.” He pulls Kylo into his arms and hugs him hard. Kylo feels the warmth of his father’s embrace. Even in death, even when Kylo had betrayed him in the most horrible way imaginable, he knows he is forgiven. “You know it’s not time,” Kylo nods “But I promise son, we’ll see each other again and I’ll go back to beating you in Dejarik” he says with a wink, climbing into the captain’s chair.

“I love you dad,” Kylo says, for a moment Ben shines through him. Ben is alive and he knows what his next move is.

“I know,” Han says, shifting the ship into hyperspeed.

The last thing Kylo sees is the stars in the galaxy blending into white streaks.

 

* * *

 

Kylo wakes with a start, he is in a bacta tank on the Finalizer and Hux is standing outside watching him. His eyes widen and he starts shouting for medics to come and help Kylo out of the tank. After being fished out he is wobbly on his feet, but for the first time in years he feels whole.

“How long was I out?” Kylo asks, accepting the towel Hux is offering and begins drying off.

“About five days. The medics weren’t sure if you’d wake up. I see they were wrong.” Hux’s mouth remains in a hard line but his eyes are smiling.

“How unfortunate for you, General,” Kylo snipes back.

Hux shifts uncomfortably. “We are about to enter the orbit of Snoke’s planet. He’s asked for you to be immediately flown down to his citadel. He wants to finish your ‘training.’ ” Kylo can hear the derision in his voice. Hux doesn’t quite approve of Snoke’s training methods. From the horrible things Kylo told him when he woke from nightmares, they are painful and savage.

Kylo nods. “That’s fine. I think I know my next move.”

Hux raises an eyebrow in question, but does not ask it. “The medics will want to see to you and then you can return to your quarters. Please comm me when you are back in your room, I’d like to debrief you about the destruction of Starkiller.”

Kylo scoffs, moving toward the medics who had pulled him out of the tank. “I’ll look forward to it.” He says, not turning back to see the General’s blush.


End file.
